Sociology: Culture – Norm Violation Assignment
NAME: _______________________________ PER: ______
DUE DATE: ________________
Challenge:
Identify a common social norm and then construct an experiment in which you violate this norm. You should observe
how others react to you and also how it makes you feel. You may complete this activity alone or with a partner. If
you choose the partner option, each of you MUST have your own answers to the questions on the back. If you choose
to do it alone, you may want to have some helpers who can help observe others’ response. You will be asked to
present your norm violation to the class.
To get you started, here are some norms you might violate:
1. Social Distance Norms
2. Conversational Norms
3. Gender Norms
4. Volume Norms
Limitations:
BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL OR THAT PUTS YOU OR OTHERS IN
DANGER!
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Don’t do anything that is likely to elicit aggressive responses from others.
Don’t crowd people using a bank machine or credit card.
Don’t follow anyone home
Don’t yell fire in a crowded room
Don’t scream racial/prejudice slurs
Don’t threaten or menace other people
If people become visibly upset, back off, apologize, and explain your behavior. Have the assignment handy.
This is not a free pass to be a menace or make people cry.
Avoid being overtly rude to people, there are many norms to violate and I will be happy to suggest something
for you to do.
Approval Form:
You MUST get your idea for your norm violation approved by Mrs. Silverman before you begin your experiment!
Once it has been approved, you may not deviate from your plan.
IDEA:
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APPROVAL BY MRS: SILVERMAN
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Questions:
Answer each of the following questions completely for full credit. Be prepared to share your answers with the class.
1. What social sanctions resulted from your norm violation? Who created and/or enforced them? How?
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2. How did race, class, and/or gender affect your deviance (others perception of it, your ability to do it,
different sanctions that might be brought against different groups or people engaging in the same act)?
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3. During your time as a “norm violator,” how uncomfortable were you? What normally keeps you in line?
How hard is it to break an unspoken rule? How are the unspoken rules enforced?
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4. What if you could not change your norm violation? How would others see you? How would you cope?
How would it affect your life and those around you?
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